Department of Health and Social Care

Congenital Hyperinsulinism: Children

Lord Rennard: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken (1) to offer children with Congenital Hyperinsulinism continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in order to avoid Hypoglycaemic incident and subsequent neurological harm, and (2) to ensure equality of funding for children with Hyperinsulinism regardless of geographical location in England.

Lord Rennard: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case forprioritising early diagnosis of Congenital Hyperinsulinism to prevent Hypoglycaemicincident and subsequent neurological harm in babies and children.

Lord Rennard: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with NHS England to embed knowledge of Congenital Hyperinsulinism among medical professionals and associations responsible for neo-natal, post-natal and paediatric care, to ensure urgent diagnosis to prevent neurological harm.

Lord Markham: NHS England is responsible for commissioning Highly Specialised Congenital Hyperinsulinism (CHI) Specialist Centres in London, Manchester, and Liverpool to provide a range of treatments for this condition. Care includes long-term monitoring of the glycaemic status of children with CHI to avoid hypoglycaemic incident and subsequent neurological harm. Additionally, the Specialist Centres engage with parents in the long-term care of children who also receive regular follow up at the centres with the involvement of a patient’s local healthcare provider to support care closer to home management. All patients with CHI are referred to and have access to these centres.The Department has not had specific discussions with NHS England on Congenital Hyperinsulinism. Whilst no assessment has been made for prioritising early diagnosis thereof, it is acknowledged by the National Health Service and by practitioners involved in routine paediatric health assessment, surveillance and subsequent treatment, that the early diagnosis of CHI is important and that children usually start to show symptoms of CHI within the first few days of life, although very occasionally symptoms may appear later in infancy. The Specialist Centres also provide advice, education and support to local health care providers on CHI and the management of patients with CHI.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Africa: Trade Agreements

Lord Boateng: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in the UK's programme of support for the African Continental Free Trade Area; how much of the up to £35 million set aside for this purpose has been spent; and on what specific actions.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The programme is in its first year of implementation, supporting negotiations and implementation by the Secretariat and Member States. Key activities so far include: funding four technical experts on investment and national implementation; developing plans to increase freight flows on the Lagos-Abidjan corridor, with upgrades starting at the Ghana-Togo border; supporting continental technical engagements on regional coordination and customs; supporting Ghana on aluminium value chain development and awareness raising and supporting Nigeria on automotive value chain develop and expanding services trade.

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

Baroness Deech: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the treatment of (1) Hindus, (2) Christians, and (3) other non-Muslim minorities, by the government of Pakistan; and whether they will make representations to that government concerning the enforcement of the law of blasphemy against those minorities.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Protecting minority communities continues to be central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. I [Lord Ahmad] discussed the need to safeguard the rights of religious minorities and raised the proposed amendments to the blasphemy laws during my meeting with Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, on 30 January. I also discussed blasphemy laws and the importance of promoting respect for all religions during my meeting with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on 14 December 2022.

Nigeria: Christianity

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the alleged attacks on 5 February in villages in the Bokkos area of Plateau State in Nigeria; and what representations they have made to the government of Nigeria concerning who may have been responsible for these incidents.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: His Majesty's Government condemns the 5 February attacks on villages in Bokkos district and all incidents of violence against civilians in Nigeria. These attacks must be investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice. Minister of State for Development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell, discussed the issue of increased violence in Nigeria with the country's leading presidential candidates ahead of the election this month. The UK will continue to facilitate coordination between Peace and Security Commissioners in affected states and to help address violent crime by training peace ambassadors in Plateau State. Our High Commission is in regular contact with local leaders to promote tolerance and understanding between communities.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Office for Environmental Protection

Lord Anderson of Ipswich: To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish the Framework Document to be agreed between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Office for Environmental Protection.

Lord Benyon: Good progress continues to be made in agreeing the Framework Document between Defra and the OEP. We aim for it to be published in Spring 2023.

Home Office

Asylum: Hotels

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria they use to identify hotels that are suitable to accommodate migrants.

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government how many migrants are accommodated in hotels in each upper tier authority for the latest date on which figures are available.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The Asylum Accommodation service providers identify suitable hotels and ensure that they conform to the accommodation standards and provision set out in Schedule 2 of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC). The Home Office will then assess the recommendation, undertaking a site visit if needed to ensure the suitability of the site. The Home Office will work with the service provider and the hotel owner to bring the site up to a suitable standard if necessary. In addition to meeting the necessary standards, other factors in the sourcing of contingency hotels are important to note. The hotel needs to be agreeable to contract and be able to accommodate sole use for the duration of the contract. Many hotels do not wish to enter into a contract and some have offered partial use which we cannot allow. The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of asylum seekers accommodated in each region and local authority area. These statistics can be found at Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Data is published on a quarterly basis, with the latest information published on 24 November, correct to end September.

Refugees: Resettlement

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to trial an Emergency Resettlement Mechanism that is wider than existing schemes as originally proposed in the New Plan for Immigration, published on 24 March 2021.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: An Emergency Resettlement Mechanism would allow the government to provide urgent protection in exceptional circumstances to refugees referred by UNHCR as being in need of rapid emergency resettlement. The UK already works alongside the UNHCR to resettle refugees through its existing resettlement schemes; these include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship, the Mandate Resettlement Scheme, and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS). Responding to the situation in Afghanistan, the UK military undertook the largest military evacuation since the Second World War, during which we evacuated c.15,000 individuals to the UK. Over 20,000 Afghans have been brought over to the UK since the fall of Kabul. This, alongside the UK’s response to Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine, continues to impact on available local authority housing and support. As a result, the commencement of the pilot has been put on hold temporarily. The UK has a strong record of helping those most in need and the UK continues to welcome refugees and people in need of protection through our resettlement and relocation schemes. Since 2015, the UK has resettled over 28,000 refugees directly from regions of conflict and instability.

Police: Misconduct

Lord Lexden: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Sharpe of Epsom on 6 February (HL Deb col 961), in whatcircumstances legally qualified chairs in police misconduct cases are entitled to remain anonymous.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: There are no provisions in legislation which entitle legally qualified chairs of police misconduct hearings to remain anonymous. Identification of an individual Chair would be a matter for the relevant Office for Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), as the body which appoints Chairs to the panel Since 2015, there has been a presumption that all misconduct hearings are held in public On completion of the hearing, the legally qualified chair must, subject to the harm test, require the police force to publish the panel’s outcome report for that hearing, for a period of at least 28 days.

Mike Veale

Lord Lexden: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Sharpe of Epsom on 6 February (HL Deb col 961),what representations they have made to the Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner, if any, regarding expediting the gross misconduct hearing proceedings for Mr Mike Veale through the use of statutory powers possessed by the Home Secretary.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Arrangements concerning the establishment of misconduct hearings are a matter for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC), and the management of the hearing itself is the responsibility of the independent Legally Qualified Chair (LQC) in charge of it. Decisions made concerning a hearing are done so independently of PCCs as well as Government and the Home Secretary has no powers to make directions in relation to those hearings. Given the independence of PCCs and LQCs, it would be inappropriate for the Government to seek to influence those decisions.

Asylum: Applications

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government whether there are any circumstances in which it is currently possible for refugees to claim asylum from within the UK other than for claimants from Ukraine, Afghanistan or Hong Kong who apply under the relevant time-limited schemes.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: In addition to dedicated resettlement schemes for Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Ukraine, the UK welcomes refugees and people in need of protection through the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship, Family Reunion, and Mandate Resettlement Schemes.Any person who is not a British Citizen can claim asylum in the UK as long as they meet the requirements to do so, as set out in the Immigration Rules and published policy.A claim for asylum from an adult who is not a British Citizen will be accepted where they make a particularised protection claim in person at a designated location. If they have previously applied for asylum, they would be required to submit new evidence under the further submissions process. A particularise protection claim refers to them providing a basic reason why they fear persecution or serious harm.In the case of children claiming asylum, there is no requirement to particularise a protection claim when they register their claim.A self-declared refugee or someone who has been recognised as a refugee by another country or the UNHCR would not be excluded from claiming asylum. If refugee status has been provided by another country or the UNHCR, that will be taken into consideration when the claim is decided.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Liverpool Strategic Futures Advisory Panel

Lord Storey: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Scott of Bybrook on 8 December 2022 (HL3776), when the Liverpool Strategic Futures Panel will meet.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Further information on the Panel will be made available in due course.

Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019

Lord Lipsey: To ask His Majesty's Government why they have not yet implemented the code contained under the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave to PQ HL4981 on 6 February 2023.HL4981 (pdf, 86.8KB)

Infrastructure: Taxation

Baroness Thornhill: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish an assessment of the implications of the proposed infrastructure levy.

Baroness Thornhill: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that any reforms to the planning system protect the delivery of affordable housing.

Baroness Thornhill: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact ofproposals in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill on the delivery of affordable housing.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill gives the Government powers to create a new Infrastructure Levy. This will be a mandatory, non-negotiable charge, set and collected locally.The Government is committed to the delivery of on-site affordable housing through the Levy, and to delivering at least as much, if not more, affordable housing than at present.  Section 204G(2) of the Bill sets out that, when setting Infrastructure Levy rates, local planning authorities will need to have regard to the level of affordable housing that is already secured through developer contributions, recognising the desirability of maintaining the level at which affordable housing is delivered.  We will also introduce through regulations a new 'right to require', which will allow local authorities to require developers to deliver a set proportion of their Levy liability as onsite, in-kind affordable housing. Developers will not be able to negotiate their affordable housing obligations downwards, which offers significant protection of affordable housing delivery over the present system.The Levy will be brought forward through regulations that will set out the detail of how it will operate. We intend to consult on this detail, prior to any publication of regulations.The Levy will be implemented through a ‘test and learn’ approach to support local authorities through the transition period. This will see the Levy rolled out in some local authorities in the first instance, before wider national roll-out over several years. This approach will aid the monitoring and evaluation of the Levy where it is introduced initially, and support the creation of a system that works.A Regulatory Impact Assessment has been published for the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill which includes specific impacts in relation to the Infrastructure Levy. Impact Assessments are required for all UK government interventions of a regulatory nature that affect the private sector and/or public services. The Impact Assessment has been reviewed and rated by the Regulatory and Policy Committee prior to publication, and the Department has received a 'Green' rating, meaning the Impact Assessment is fit for purpose. The Regulatory Impact Assessment can be found here.The Regulatory Impact Assessment  (pdf, 109.1KB)

Department for Business and Trade

Electronic Cigarettes: Regulation

Lord Porter of Spalding: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they havemade of the adequacy of Trading Standards' powers to regulate the sale of vaping products and tackle illicit vaping tobacco products.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: Vapes are regulated through the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 and the Nicotine Inhaling Products (Age of Sale and Proxy Purchasing) Regulations 2015. The Government continues to work with enforcement agencies to ensure these regulations are enforced in England. Suspected illegal activity should be reported in the first instance to the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 (www.citizensadvice.org.uk/).

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

EU Law

Lord Bowness: To ask His Majesty's Government how many provisions of retained EU law were incorporated into UK law by primary legislation.

Lord Callanan: The information requested is not held centrally by the Department of Business and Trade, primary legislation is outside the scope of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill.

Offshore Industry: Environment Protection

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have held any discussions with BP following reports that the company will fail to meet its climate targets; and what steps they are taking to promote sustainability in oil companies.

Lord Callanan: My Rt. Hon. Friend the Minister of State met BP on 17th February and discussed its climate targets, including the company’s planned investments in CCUS, hydrogen, wind and electric vehicle charging projects. The UK promotes sustainability in oil and gas companies. The North Sea Transition Deal is a global exemplar of how a government can work with the offshore oil and gas industry to achieve a managed energy transition.

Energy Charter Treaty

Baroness Sheehan: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty; and what recent discussions they have held with the EU on this.

Lord Callanan: The UK has been a strong advocate for ECT modernisation. At the Energy Charter Conference on 22 November, the decision to adopt the modernised Treaty was postponed. The UK has been closely monitoring the situation surrounding the Energy Charter Treaty’s modernisation process, including the positions taken by other Contracting Parties. The UK holds regular meetings with members of the Energy Charter Treaty Modernisation Group, including the EU and EU Member States, with respect to the modernisation of the ECT.

Hospices: Energy

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to support hospices with energy costs after the Energy Bill Relief Scheme comes to an end in March; and what conversations, if any, they have had with Hospice UK about rising energy costs.

Lord Callanan: Discussions have taken place with a number of charities and businesses regarding increased energy costs, and the Government is aware of the impact this is having on the hospice sector. The Government will continue to provide support through the recently announced Energy Bill Discount Scheme, which will run from April until March 2024, and continue to provide a discount to eligible non-domestic customers, including the hospice sector.

Electricity Generation: Wind Power

Lord Kilclooney: To ask His Majesty's Government what was thepercentage of the contribution of wind energy to the electric power produced in Great Britain in each of the past 10 years.

Lord Callanan: The latest data is shown in the table below:Wind’s share of electricity generation in Great Britain, 2012 - 2021[1]Electricity generation (GWh)WindTotal GB generationWind’s share of GB generation (%)201218,805356,4925.3%201327,052350,5027.7%201430,501330,2169.2%201538,414330,11511.6%201635,426329,97110.7%201747,136328,49014.3%201853,974323,41316.7%201960,835314,60719.3%202072,350302,61523.9%202161,955299,06820.7%  Provisional 2022 data for the UK will be published on Thursday March 30th 2023 in Energy Trends. 2022 data for Great Britain will be published in December in Energy Trends. [1] Taken from data published by BEIS in Energy Trends: December 2022, special feature article - Electricity generation and supply in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England

Boilers

Lord Ravensdale: To ask His Majesty's Government, what plans they have to implement the recommendation in the report Mission Zero: Independent Review of Net Zero, published on 26 September 2022, to bring forward to 2033 the target to phase out the installation of newgas boilers; and when they will make an announcement about any such plans.

Lord Callanan: The Heat and Buildings Strategy set out our aim to phase out the installation of new and replacement natural gas boilers from 2035, to ensure all heating systems used in 2050 are compatible with net zero. This would mean when consumers replace their heating source, they replace it with a low-carbon or low-carbon ready appliance. We are considering the recommendations made by my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Kingswood in the Independent Review of Net Zero, and will respond in due course.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Departmental Responsibilities

Lord Rogan: To ask His Majesty's Government what are the role and responsibilities of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; and whether the department has jurisdiction in (1) Northern Ireland, (2) Scotland, and (3) Wales.

Lord Callanan: Details of the role and responsibilities of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero have not yet been published. They will be published in due course.

Energy Charter Treaty

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government further to the (1) departure, and (2) anticipated departure, of several EU countries from the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), what discussions they have had with (a) the EU, and (b) EU member states, about (i) a replacement agreement, and (ii) steps they could take to neutralise the sunset clause in the ECT; and if they have not had such discussions, why they have not done so.

Lord Callanan: The UK holds regular meetings with members of the Energy Charter Treaty Modernisation Group, including the EU and EU Member States, with respect to the modernisation of the ECT. The UK has been closely monitoring the situation surrounding the Energy Charter Treaty’s modernisation process, including the positions taken by other Contracting Parties.

Energy Charter Treaty: Fossil Fuels

Baroness Sheehan: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that a failure to reform the Energy Charter Treaty would have on new fossil fuel developments in the UK.

Lord Callanan: The UK has been a strong advocate for ECT modernisation. At the Energy Charter Conference on 22 November, the decision to adopt the modernised Treaty was postponed. The UK has been closely monitoring the situation surrounding the Energy Charter Treaty’s modernisation process, including the positions taken by other Contracting Parties.

EU Law

Lord Bowness: To ask His Majesty's Government how many provisions of retained EU law were originally passed by the Council of the European Union by a qualified majority vote in which the UK voted against.

Lord Callanan: The information requested is not held centrally by the Department of Business and Trade.

Cabinet Office

Crime: Hertfordshire

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government how many instances of knife crime occurred in Hertfordshire in (1) 2022, (2) 2021, (3) 2020, and (4) 2019.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.A response to the noble Lord Bishop’s Parliamentary Question of 9 February is attached. Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National StatisticianThe Rt Rev. the Lord Bishop of St AlbansHouse of LordsLondonSW1A 0PW 16 February 2023 Dear Lord Bishop,As the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking how many instances of knife crime occurred in Hertfordshire from the years 2019 to 2022 (HL5628).The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for collecting and publishing figures on the levels and trends of crime in England and Wales based on two sets of crime statistics: the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) and police recorded crime data. Police recorded knife or sharp instrument offences data are supplied to the ONS by the Home Office.Hertfordshire is one of 38 forces who supply data through the National Data Quality Improvement Service (NDQIS). The NDQIS uses a computer-assisted classification tool to determine whether an offence included a knife or sharp instrument or not.An offence is recorded as involving a knife or sharp instrument when the weapon is present during offence, or the threat is believed to be real, even if the weapon has not necessarily been used. Offences of “possession of an article with a blade or point” are covered separately by a specific recorded crime category.The number of offences involving knives or sharp instruments for each Police Force Area are published in our Police Force Area tables alongside our quarterly Crime in England and Wales release.We have provided the estimates of Hertfordshire for years 2019 to 2022 in Table 1.Yours sincerely,Professor Sir Ian Diamond Table 1: Number of recorded offences which involved a knife or sharp instrument in Hertfordshire Police Force Area, year ending March 2019 to year ending March 2022[1] Apr 2018 to Mar 2019Apr 2019 to Mar 2020Apr 2020 to Mar 2021Apr 2021 to Mar 2022Number of Offences550908719731 Source: Home Office - Police recorded crime[1] Police recorded crime are not designated as National Statistics.UKSA Response to PQ HL5628 (pdf, 149.6KB)

Treasury

Electricity Generation: Taxation

Baroness Sheehan: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received the letter from Mishcon De Reya on behalf of Community Windpower Ltd about impending legal action in respect of the Electricity Generator Levy; and what steps they intend to take in response.

Baroness Penn: The Treasury engages in good faith with all requests for further information it receives, just as it will in responding to any letter before claim should any be served in compliance with the established pre-action protocols. It is confident that it has, and continues to act, lawfully in the development of the Electricity Generator Levy.

Individual Savings Accounts

Lord Naseby: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to allow savers to use Lifetime ISA (LISA) monies without penalty to buy a home of a value that would otherwise incur a penalty when the money was withdrawn.

Lord Naseby: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to raise the £410,000 Lifetime ISA (LISA)limit to £607,500 to reflect average house price growth in the UK since 2017.

Baroness Penn: The Government is committed to supporting people of all incomes and at all stages of life to save, and to making the aspiration of home ownership a reality for as many households as possible. The Lifetime ISA is intended to support younger people saving for their first home or for later life by offering a generous government bonus of 25% on up to £4,000 of savings each year. These funds, including the government bonus, can be used to purchase a first home up to the value of £450,000. The Government keeps all elements of the Lifetime ISA under review, as it does all aspects of the tax system.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Lord Truscott: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to equalise the VAT rate for public charging (20 per cent) and home charging (5 per cent) for electric vehicles.

Baroness Penn: There are no current plans to change the VAT treatment of electric vehicle charging. However, the Government is committed to supporting the transition to zero emission vehicles to help the UK meet its net-zero obligations. The Government has committed £2.5 billion since 2020 to support the transition to zero emission vehicles, which funds targeted vehicle grants and the rollout of charging infrastructure.